The entertainment industry, which includes movies, music, and the like, generates several billion dollars per year. In the past, revenue with respect to movies was created through box-office sales at multiple theaters. Through permeation of home-video players, such as video cassette recorders and DVD players, film studios have been able to generate additional revenue through sale of movies that can be watched in one's home. Movie rental companies have enabled millions of users to enjoy a vast number of films in the comfort of their own homes for minimal cost. One drawback of the recent past, however, is that one wishing to rent or purchase a film must physically travel to a video store to select and rent a movie, and upon viewing such movie return the media that encapsulates the film prior to a pre-determined date. If the renter of the movie, purposefully or otherwise, does not return the media by the predetermined date, then such renter incurs additional fees. Another deficiency associated with the conventional rental agency is the finite nature of media that is utilized to encapsulate film. In more detail, individuals can be frustrated if they travel to a rental store only to find that a film they wish to view is unavailable (e.g., each copy of the film has been rented by others).
The music industry has, in the past, faced similar problems. For instance, those wishing to enjoy a particular musical act were forced to travel to watch such musicians perform. The invention of the radio enabled listeners to enjoy music and other programs in their own homes, although such listeners lacked an ability to select a particular song or musician. Phonograms were later provided for sale to those who wished to enjoy content of a particular record at any time of their choosing—however, such phonograms are often associated with poor sound quality, are easily damaged, and lack portability. Audio cassettes and compact disks have been provided by the music industry to overcome the deficiencies associated with the phonogram, but still require utilization of physical media to retain a song or songs. Thus, as with films, users in the recent past were required to travel to a store to search for a particular compact disk. Furthermore, these disks are still subject to scratching and other damage.
Advances in computing and networking have enabled mitigation of many of the above-described deficiencies. In one example, rather than traveling to a rental company to lease a film, one can now request such movie from a cable company through utilization of a remote control. For instance, a user interface can be provided on a television listing a plurality of available films, and through selection of a button or sequence of buttons the user can select a desired film. The film can then be provided to such user electronically through a cable line and a cable box. The movie is provided with particular rules that prohibit unrestricted access to such movie. For example, a common rule is to enable viewing of the film for a twenty-four hour period, and thereafter preventing the viewing of such film. Another rule may enable a user to view the film a pre-defined number of times. It can thus be discerned that various rules can be effectuated with respect to multimedia content to protect copyright rights of owners of the content.
Portable devices have also been associated with rapid technological advancements. For instance, in the recent past, size of so-called portable cellular telephones prohibited easy transportation of such telephones. Rather, the bulky devices had to be placed in a handbag, backpack, or similar item to enable movement of such device with an individual. Moreover, these phones (and other portable devices) were not associated with graphical user interfaces and had battery life that was less than half an hour. In contrast, today's cellular telephones can weigh less than a pound, slide easily into one's pocket, and are associated with colored user interfaces with screen resolutions that enable clear depiction of a picture. Other portable devices, such as personal digital assistants (PDAs), portable music players, and the like have also been associated with increase in functionality, display capabilities, and battery life as well as decrease in size.
These advances in technology have enabled portable devices to be employed in connection with review and editing of multimedia content. For instance, a home-movie can be created and/or transferred to a personal computer, which in turn can be employed to transfer such movie to a portable device. The movie can thereafter be reviewed upon such device so long as the device is associated with an application that can comprehend and render the movie to a graphical user interface. Movie and music studios, as well as other entertainment and media companies, however, have been hesitant to digitize copyrighted works for use in portable devices due to difficulties in prevention of piracy.